Saturday, January 31, 2015

Recently Read: Mary Magdalene: Princess of Orange

I've finished reading Mary Magdalene: Princess of Orange by Ralph Ellis. It was an interesting read. The first half of the book dealt with the Mary Magdalene/Orange mythos, and the second half was pretty much a polemical about various things, including Islam and environmentalism.

I'll focus on the first half of the book as that's what's relevant here. The main points of interest were;

Mary Magdalene was a descendant of the Egyptian Ptolemaic line - the line that also produced Cleopatra

One of these Ptolemaic ancestors went by the name Thea Muse Ourania - Ourania meaning golden among other things

That after arriving in France, Mary Magdalene lived in/founded the French town of Orange

That the House of Orange derives its name from both this town and its links to Mary

That Orantes (statues or images of people with their arms outstretched in prayer) were symbolic of Mary

That Oranges, Gold and Red/Blond Hair all became symbolic of Mary Magdalene and her family line

That some fairy tales, most notably the story of Rapunzel, are covert references to the story of Mary Magdalene

That the orbs that kings and rulers are often portrayed holding are symbolic of oranges (and also the Earth over which they rule)

That Mary Magdalene was often portrayed in art covered/clothed in her long hair

That the Reformation and subsequent Enlightenment in part stemmed from this Orange/Magdalene under-culture

Ellis also points out that the name Caesar comes from the Latin word caesaries meaning hair. Obviously lots of this is relevant to red hair. Interestingly, it also provides a link between the red hair of Reformation Europe and the red hair of ancient times. Well worth reading.